Cornell vs CMU vs Princeton ECE

[xdefnex]

Hey guys,

I was admitted by Cornell, CMU and Princeton ECE PhD Program with fellowship. Currently I am interested in ic design, analog electronics..etc and have no certain decision about pursuing my career as an academic or getting a job after PhD graduation. Cornell and CMU has some advantages in terms of the field that I have interest. And If I choose Princeton, most probably I will study computer architecture(considering my background, I can say that it would be a new topic for me). However, Princeton is in a better location(~1 hr to NYC and Philadelphia) and I have 2 more college friends who have received admission from Princeton (and made their decisions to accept). Some say that it is a good opportunity to study in Princeton due to its reputation while some think that CMU or Cornell have advantages in terms of their research opportunities in circuits, analog design areas. Since I am a foreigner, I also think that it may be difficult to get accustomed with the surroundings in the first year and having some friends may be important. Besides, Cornell is located in somewhere difficult to reach (~6hrs to NYC) though its campus is gorgeous and it has a high prestige.

Therefore, can anyone give me some advice to make a correct decision? (in terms of technical strengths, prestige, campus living ...etc)

Thanks...

[HassE]

Hey guys,

I was admitted by Cornell, CMU and Princeton ECE PhD Program with fellowship. Currently I am interested in ic design, analog electronics..etc and have no certain decision about pursuing my career as an academic or getting a job after PhD graduation. Cornell and CMU has some advantages in terms of the field that I have interest. And If I choose Princeton, most probably I will study computer architecture(considering my background, I can say that it would be a new topic for me). However, Princeton is in a better location(~1 hr to NYC and Philadelphia) and I have 2 more college friends who have received admission from Princeton (and made their decisions to accept). Some say that it is a good opportunity to study in Princeton due to its reputation while some think that CMU or Cornell have advantages in terms of their research opportunities in circuits, analog design areas. Since I am a foreigner, I also think that it may be difficult to get accustomed with the surroundings in the first year and having some friends may be important. Besides, Cornell is located in somewhere difficult to reach (~6hrs to NYC) though its campus is gorgeous and it has a high prestige.

Therefore, can anyone give me some advice to make a correct decision? (in terms of technical strengths, prestige, campus living ...etc)

Thanks...

Hopefully my response is not too late. First off, Congratulations, these are some of the best schools and you should be proud of youself. If you dont mind me asking, anyway you can post your stats that got you in?

Now talking about prestige, princeton certainly out beats cornell or cmu in terms of name recognition. When you tell someone you went to princeton its a lot more flashier. In terms of engineering, CMU is a top 5 school and has much more power on the engineering and research world. Cornell, might give you the best of both worlds because it still has prestige and is one of the best ivy league schools for engineering.

There is no right decisions though. Pittsburgh is an area you might enjoy, same with princeton. Cornell is "out in the middle of nowhere" but like you said its a beautiful campus and has everything right there located.

You need to decide what type is best for you. If you like and can picture yourself going to the city quite often, then princeton would be your best choice. But if you plan on going to the "big apple" just once or twice for site seeing? well that can be done anytime.

MY BEST ADVICE..if you haven't done so, MAKE sure you visit each of these schools at least once. Get on campus and see if you'll fit in.